2025 NJ Brownfield Summit

Sessions: Welcome, BDA Roundtable: Lessons from Previous BDAs, Mobile Tour of Palmyra BDA

Session: Opening Remarks

Bio:

John D. Moore, PCNP/IEO’s Executive Director, is an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow Emeritus, having served his fellowship year at the National Science Foundation in Washington, DC.

Most recently, Mr. Moore served as PCNP’s Director for Geoscience/STEM Education from 2011 to 2017.  Prior to that, he was a faculty member at the Burlington County Institute of Technology in Medford, NJ for over 28 years where he developed the Geoscience and Remote Sensing Program, a Career Major for students grades 9-12 pursuing careers in STEM related fields. As both a scientist and educator, Mr. Moore has pioneered and lectured around the world on topics relating to the incorporation of remote sensing, satellite imagery, computer visualizations and use of real-time data in the pre-college classroom and remains a strong advocate for Career Technical Education.

The State of New Jersey named Moore the NJ Conservation Teacher of the Year for four separate years. He is a recipient of the NJ Environmental Educator of the Year Award by the NJ Audubon Society, NJ AgriScience Teacher of the Year Award by the NJ Future Farmers of America, and NJ WalMart/Phi Delta Kappa Teacher of the Year Award. Moore was also recognized by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers as the “Outstanding Earth Science Teacher of the Year” in NJ and was named the Eastern Section OEST, spanning seven states. He was also named the GLOBE Program’s Western Hemisphere’s Distinguished Educator. Mr. Moore serves on the American Meteorological Society’s Board on Environment and Health, and is the past Chair of the Board on Outreach and Precollege Education. He is also an AMS Policy Colloquium alumni.

Moore is a contributing author for two texts on Environmental Sustainability and the award-winning “Best Practices in STEM Education: Innovative Approaches from Einstein Fellow Alumni.”  He is the lead author on numerous scientific and educational journal articles and is currently the NSF Principle Investigator for a “Big Data” grant and is Senior Investigator on a NASA GLOBE Mission Earth grant.

He holds undergraduate degrees in Urban Planning and Environmental Science from Stockton University in NJ, a Master’s degree in Environmental Conservation and Education from Rowan University in NJ, and has completed requirements at Temple University in the pursuit of an Ed.D. in Science Education.

Sessions: Introduction to BDA and Beyond, Technical Assistance and Certification Opportunities and Successes, Closing Remarks

Moderator: Ask the Experts: Federal and State Liability Protection and Compliance 101

Bio:

Ms. Martin strives to create safe, vibrant, and resilient communities as an environmental planning professional. She currently serves as the subject matter expert on climate resiliency and sustainability at NJIT TAB, which provides free technical assistance to government entities and nonprofit organizations in EPA Regions 2 & 4. Ms. Martin has four years of experience in private consulting where she helped state, regional, and local government entities assess and reduce their risks to natural hazards and climate threats. Ms. Martin holds a Master of City and Regional Planning (M.C.R.P.) and a graduate certificate in Coastal Climate Risk & Resilience from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She received her bachelor’s degree in public policy and environmental policy from William & Mary. Ms. Martin is licensed as a certified professional planner through the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).

Session: Ask the Experts: Federal and State Liability Protection and Compliance 101

Session: Ask the Experts: Federal and State Liability Protection and Compliance 101

Bio:

Ms. Morelli-DeRose is an Associate Principal at GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. (GZA) with more than 30 years of experience in the environmental field. A Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) in New Jersey, she has expertise in soil, groundwater and vapor investigations and remediations. Her portfolio of work encompasses remediation at hundreds of sites including brownfields, industrial sites, and UST closures.  She assists clients with projects ranging from due diligence through complex chlorinated solvent bedrock investigations.  She is adept at technical reporting and is keenly familiar with regulatory compliance requirements as well as grant funding opportunities for her clients’ projects. She is the LSRP of record for dozens of projects in New Jersey. Ms. Morelli-DeRose holds a B.S. in Environmental Resource Management from Pennsylvania State University, an M.S. in Pollution Control and Systems Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University She is an active member of several professional organizations including the New Jersey Society of Women Environmental Professionals, the LSRP Association, the National Groundwater Association, the Brownfield Coalition of the Northeast, the American Water Resource Association, and Commercial Real Estate Women.

Moderator: BDA Roundtable: Lessons from Previous BDAs, Building Your Funding Stack and Leveraging Resources

Bio:

Dawn Bembry Breeden, is the Manager of Brownfield Redevelopment at the New Jersey Institute of Technology's Technical Assistance to Brownfield Communities Program (NJIT TAB). In this role, she provides vital educational forums, resources, and technical assistance to communities across the Eastern U.S. to support the revitalization and redevelopment of brownfield sites.

With over 25 years of experience in environmental science and engineering, Dawn has a proven track record of leadership and expertise in brownfield management. Prior to her work in the nonprofit sector, she was the Principal and owner of an environmental consulting firm, where she led a variety of environmental projects, including Phase I Site Assessments, Phase II Site Investigations, Remediation Oversight, Environmental Permitting, Groundwater Investigations, and Environmental Compliance. Her expertise also extends to NEPA processes and Mergers and Acquisitions, with a strong focus on brownfield redevelopment and environmental risk management.

Dawn holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering, a Master of Science in Engineering Management, and a PhD in Christian Psychology. Her interdisciplinary academic background, coupled with her extensive hands-on experience, allows her to bring a unique, comprehensive approach to each brownfield project, ensuring both technical rigor and community-centered solutions.

Session: BDA Roundtable: Lessons from Previous BDAs

Session: BDA Roundtable: Lessons from Previous BDAs

Session: BDA Roundtable: Lessons from Previous BDAs, Mobile Tour of Palmyra BDA

Sessions: BDA Roundtable: Lessons from Previous BDAs, Closing Remarks

Bio: 

Most of Mr. Findley’s experience is in the remediation/redevelopment of brownfield sites. Mr. Findley is currently a Senior Brownfield Project Manager in NJDEP Office of Brownfields, a highly specialized Office dedicated to the remediation/redevelopment of contaminated brownfields sites. In this position, Mr. Findley works collectively with municipalities and counties, redevelopers and owners, community-stakeholders, non-profits, environmental consultants, License Site Remediation Professional (LSRP), etc., to develop/implement remedial strategies to plan/investigate/remediate/redevelop and ID/leverage funding to cleanup and redevelop brownfield sites into reusable productive properties again. 

Mr. Findley has been with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) for over 38 years. Started in the Water Resources Program as a project engineer overseeing the planning/designing/construction of wastewater treatment plants. Then spend the next 10-years in the Site Remediation Publicly Funded Program planning/investigating/remediating SUPERFUND sites. He also worked 4-years in a selected pilot-unit responsible for evaluating relative risk abandoned contaminated site poses to human health and the environment and their need for public cleanup funds. He also has extensive experience working in the state Voluntary Cleanup Program, overseeing the cleanup of residential, commercial, industrial & government-owned properties.

Mr. Findley is NJDEP’s designated representative on the NJ Redevelopment Authority (NJRA) Board, where he currently serves as co-chair and voting member. In addition, Mr. Findley is NJDEP’s representative on the NJ Brownfield Reimbursement and NJ Brownfields Tax Incentive Programs with NJ’s Treasury and Economic Development Authority. Lastly, Mr. Findley is a Math Senior Adjunct Professor at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ).

Session: Building Your Funding Stack and Leveraging Resources

Session: Building Your Funding Stack and Leveraging Resources

Bio:

Rachel is an HDSRF Coordinator in the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Brownfield Office where she oversees funding applications for 21 counties.  Rachel has been with the Department for 18 years and in the Brownfield Office for 15 years.  Rachel has a BS degree in Biology from York College of Pennsylvania and is currently pursuing a MSM in Public Service Administration.  Prior to working for the Department, Rachel was a member of AmeriCorps where she worked as a NJ Watershed Ambassador.

Session: Building Your Funding Stack and Leveraging Resources

Bio:

Jamilah Harris is a Brownfield Development Manager and a HDSRF Coordinator in the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Brownfield and Community Revitalization. Jamilah has been with the Department for 20 years, and holds a degree in Chemical Engineering. She is passionate about environmental justice, sustainability, and preparing urban communities for climate change. Her experience includes creating transformative urban projects by leveraging strategic corporate partnerships. She also works closely with the Environmental Protection Agency, and local state governments. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, and outdoor activities and spending time with her family and pets.

Session: Building Your Funding Stack and Leveraging Resources